Planning and Development Services Reorganization

The City of Sioux Falls today announced the reorganization of Planning and Development Services using existing employees. This change is an effort to streamline the department to better focus on customer service and deliver prompt, responsive service to citizens and businesses in the community.

“Taking care of citizens is job number one for the City,” said Mayor Paul TenHaken. “Our economic and workforce growth is dependent upon a healthy construction and housing industry, and this reorganization will help industry thrive as well as our citizens who are the housing consumers in Sioux Falls.”

A few of the key changes include:
• The creation of the Development Services Division. This division will include permitting, neighborhood services, property maintenance inspection, code compliance, and zoning enforcement.
• Realignment of the Permit Technicians to Development Services from the Building Inspection Division allows the Chief Building Official more capacity to collaborate with key stakeholders in the community, such as the Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire and the Associated General Contractors of South Dakota.
• Realignment of Planning staff to provide dedicated resources for development activities such as current planning, historic preservation, annexations, and downtown.
• A full-time employee will be reassigned to provide additional help to people at the City Center front desk with a variety of constituent needs.
• The Affordable Housing Division has been renamed the Housing Division focused on a variety of accessible housing opportunities throughout the city. This division will move its offices to the City Center from City Hall in October.

Under the continued leadership of Director Mike Cooper, the reorganization is effective October 15, 2018. It is a reorganization of existing resources without adding or reducing the department’s workforce.